An Asparagus a Day Keeps the Denial at Bay
by chakeroo
Summary: What happens when Minako accidentally feeds a sick Rei asparagus soup? Read to find out! :D


_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters… :D**_

A/N: Hi everyone! I hope all of you would all like this fanfic! :D Sorry if this is quite a long, I actually thought of making this 2 to 3 chapters but I could only put 15 documents on my account and I haven't figured out yet how to extend (as I have seen some fanfics to have 20 chapter and more) that stuff… I admit… I am a newbie about everything here… (-_-)v

So I decided to make most format of the next fanfics of mine will be like this… hehe… :D sorry… :D

If you are a kind soul, please help me on this… :D THANKS!

Reviews are very much welcome! :D

I've been having this random ideas for a story about Minako and Rei… so here it goes… :D

* * *

"ACHOOO!"

Rei sniffed.

"COUGH!"

Rei groaned.

'_Ugh. I really don't feel well. Damn it! It took me all day to get half a day's chores done! Damn this cold! I hope Grandpa and Yuuchiro could return sooner. But I guess they can't until they get a sponsor there.'_

Rei tried to sigh but an "ACHOO!" came out.

'_I wish Mina would be here soon. I really need to see her so I could get through the day.'_

Rei dropped her broom and took a tissue at the foot of the stairs. She didn't notice that Makoto, Ami and Usagi was trudging up the stairs of the shrine.

'_Hopefully Mina wears the skirt that I like… Oooh… That would be nice… Stop thinking about that! You are such a pervert Hino Rei! It's hard enough with all the coughing and sneezing and now you're thinking about your bestfriend like that?'_

Rei felt a tingle on her spine and she blushed.

"COUGH!"

"Wow Rei, I didn't think you'd be this sick." Ami rushed towards the miko and felt her forehead. "You should really be resting. You're burning up a bit." Ami continued as she helped Rei sit at the foot of the stairs.

"We could help you with your chores today, if you want us to," Usagi sat at the side of the miko.

"Yeah! We could at least do that for you." Makoto agreed as she stood in front of the three.

"Thanks guys, but I already finished doing every—COUGH! COUGH!"

"Have you taken your medicine?" Ami inquired.

"I took them a while ago."

"If you're done with your chores, then you really should be resting." Makoto was now helping the raven haired girl to stand up and walk her towards her room.

"Where's Mina?" Rei whispered to Makoto.

"Oh. She said she will be meeting with her manager or something. She said she has to go do some press stuff for a couple of days."

"Really? She said she'd come by before…" Rei was pouting as her voice trailed off.

"I guess there was a sudden change of schedule. And why are we whispering?" The taller girl whispered back.

"Oh nothing." Rei's face became a deeper shade of pink.

Makoto looked at the back and as she saw Ami and Usa talking, she looked at Rei and said, "So are you still in denial?"

"In denia – I am not in denial of anythi – ACHOO!"

"O-kay…" Makoto chuckled as Rei tried to wipe her nose.

Ami opened the door as they proceeded to enter the miko's room. Usagi then got the futons and pillows then arranged everything at the floor. Makoto then helped the miko to lie down.

"Have you eaten anything?" Makoto asked.

"Not really. I can only take soups. My stomach seemed to declare war on anything solid." Rei whimpered.

Makoto laughed. "I'll prepare something then." The brunette then went to the kitchen to prepare some food for the sick miko.

"You want me to call Mina?" inquired Usagi.

"Wha—Ummm… Why would you call her?" Rei said wide eyed and blushing.

"Rei's blushing!" Ami teased.

"COUGH!" Rei was holding her chest as she winced.

"Wait, I'll go get some water for you." Ami then went to where Makoto was.

"Are you still in denial that you like Mina? Huh? Huh?" Usagi poked Rei's side.

"What stop doing that you baka! AAA-ACHOO!"

"Sorry! Your face looks all red!" Usagi was clutching her stomach as she saw a flustered miko.

"Here you go." Ami gave the water to the miko and drank it.

"Are you still in denial with your feelings about Minako? I mean, you know it's okay with us Rei. Really." Ami said honestly.

Rei coughed up the water she drank.

"Oh sorry Rei. I shouldn't have said that." Ami was wiping Rei's face and Usagi took the glass of water as she was laughing.

"So I guess you are still in denial." Usagi choked out as she can't stop laughing when she saw Rei's face.

"I am no – What with the denial stuff? Huh? I am not denying anything!" Rei shouted.

"Then do you confess that you love Minako more than a friend?" Makoto entered the room holding a tray with a bowl of chicken soup. "It's instant. I couldn't find any ingredients in your fridge. Sorry."

"Wai – Wha –" Rei's face was red.

"Oh Kami! You're really burning up!" Ami confirmed as she felt the miko's forehead.

"Mako! Why is there just one bowl? I like chicken soup too you know." Usagi pouted as she asked the taller girl.

Makoto sweatdropped. "Usa, Rei is sick. I'll cook you something special tomorrow, ok?"

"Okay!" Usagi cheered.

"Can you still get up and eat?" Ami asked the miko.

Rei tried to sit up and it was all she can do.

"Here, I'll feed you." Usagi then fed the miko soup.

After Rei ate and she took her medicine, the three decided to let her sleep and go to their respective homes.

"Thanks for doing this guys…" Rei's voice trailed off as she succumbed to sleep.

The three kept Rei company for a couple of days and the miko seemed to get better as the days pass. The night before the sixth day however, the three called and said that they couldn't come to the shrine because they had something to do. Rei insisted that it was okay and she was feeling better anyway and she could do the chores herself the next morning.

The next morning, Rei was trying to sweep the shrine grounds when a familiar voice echoed from the shrine's steps.

'_Minako?'_Rei's face beamed.

The blonde waved a hand as she took the last steps of the stairs to the shrine grounds.

"ACHOO!" Rei's sneeze was so loud that it stopped Minako at her tracks.

"Sorry." Rei chuckled and blushed.

Minako then started to walk towards the miko again. The blonde chuckled as she saw Rei wiping her nose with a tissue. Minako then took the broom from Rei and said, "You should be resting, Pyro," then gave a wink.

Rei continued to blush. _'Thank Kami she's here. I think I'll get better faster when she's around. She looks sooo… Wait… Stop thinking that!'_ Rei then gave herself a mental slap. _'Why would she wear that cute shirt with that shorts? She looks sooo hot… Stop looking!'_ Another mental slap.

"Uummm… Venus to Mars!" Minako asked Rei.

"Oh. Sorry I spaced out a bit. Glad your back." Rei smiled and then coughed.

Minako tried to hug the Rei but pushed her away which earned the miko a pout.

'_Do not pout like that. Please!'_ Rei willed herself not to hug back. "I could get you sick," she said finally.

"Aaawww… Wei-wei cares for Mi-chan?" Minako was cooing as she pinched one of Rei's cheeks.

"Don't do th… COUGH!" Rei was blushing.

'_She's sooo cute… Ugh… I want to hug her! No! Yes! No! Definitely! Stop it!'_ The miko was arguing with herself as she stared at the blonde. Minako looked at her and grinned.

"Sorry. Hey I made you some soup when I got home earlier. Come on let's go to the kitchen. I'll serve you some of my best dish ever!" Minako shouted gleefully as she dragged the miko inside.

"Mina do not drag me like that!" Rei was trying hard to breathe as she clutched the chair in the kitchen.

"Sorry Rei. I was just too excited to see you! I missed you a lot! And when Mako called me a few days ago, I wanted to get out of the press thingy but my manager wouldn't let me," Minako was now scooping some of the soup into a bowl. "I really wanted to call you but the three insisted that I should let you rest. They said I would just stress you out more if I talked and talked…"

Rei waved it off. _'At least she thought of me.'_ Rei then smiled internally but her smile faded as she smelled something familiar. The smell sent goose bumps on her whole body. She felt icky all of a sudden. _'What the hell? Where did that come from?'_

"TADA! A very special soup for my raven haired priestess!" Minako exclaimed as she handed the hot and steaming bowl of… ASPARAGUS soup.

'_Oh Kami! Are you freaking kidding me? Asparagus? ASPARAGUS SOUP? WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE THINKING?'_ Rei stared at the bowl of icky asparagus soup.

"You don't like it?" Minako asked as she pouted. "Sorry, that was the only vegetable on my fridge and I didn't have any instant soups because I didn't have time to shop. I made the soup once I got to my apartment this morning because I really wanted to see how you were doing. But it's okay if you don't want to eat it. I could go to the gro…"

Before Minako could finish her sentence, Rei took the bowl and drank the entire bowl of soup. Minako winced because she knew that the soup was still hot.

'_She remembered me and cooked for me. She didn't even rest for a while. She missed me.'_ Rei's thoughts was incoherent as she thrust the bowl to Minako's hands.

"It… It's the… the most delicious soup… ever." Rei's face paled. "Another serving please."

"Umm… Th… Thanks… Are you sure?"

"Ye - Yes."

Rei finished all the soup that Minako has brought her and the miko was now holding the bowl while she was trembling.

"Umm… Rei?" Minako looked concerned at the miko.

"Yeah?" Rei answered. She wanted to run to bathroom and vomit but willed herself not to. All of the miko's strength, she pulled towards not vomiting.

"Are you okay?" Minako went beside the miko.

Rei can only nod this time. Minako noticed that the miko was getting paler and paler by the second.

"You look so pale. Are you sure your okay now?"

Rei wanted to nod but she fainted. Minako panicked and called Ami and explained the situation. The blonde then executed Ami's orders and waited a few minutes as Ami, Usagi and Makoto arrived.

Rei came in and out of consciousness but she was able to talk to Ami and Usagi from time to time eventhough she was incoherent most of the time.

As Usagi and Ami took care of the pale face miko, Makoto dragged Minako outside Rei's room.

"Aspargus Minako? ASPARAGUS? Seriously?" Makoto wanted to slap the blonde at the back of her head.

"What's wrong? That was the only thing I had from my fridge! I don't even know why I had that!" the blonde shouted back.

"Don't you know that Rei does not like asparagus? She hates that stuff! She won't even get near that vegetable!" Makoto sweatdropped.

"But… but… she ate all of the soup… Is that why she… Oh Kami! What have I done?" Minako suddenly sat at the floor. The blonde was dumbfounded. "I just made things worse. She said she was getting better but…"

Makoto face palmed herself, thought for a couple of seconds and asked in disbelief, "She ate everything?"

The blonde nodded.

'_Oh Kami, she really is in love with Minako. Even I would have second thought if Ami made me something that I don't eat.'_ Makoto thought and chuckled.

"What's so funny Mako?" the blonde peered through her hands as she was starting to cry.

"Don't you get it?"

"Get what?"

"Would you eat a whole pot of mushroom soup if Rei cooked it for you?"

"Of course! But I would probably feel sick after," the blonde thought then chuckled as she wiped her tears.

"And why would you do that?" Makoto looked at Minako sheepishly.

Minako blushed. She then played the hems of her tank top.

"Well?"

"Because… I … love her…" Minako's face turned red.

"So now you know why she did what she did." Makoto laughed.

Minako paused in disbelief and blinked a couple of times.

"No it can't be. You're joking right? She treats me like I'm just a friend. And I think that's all I am to her," Minako's voice was sad and she was fighting herself not to cry again.

"So, you want to hear from her?"

"Kind of."

"She's still in denial, Mina"

"It's okay if I have to wait for her, Mako. I really do love her," the blonde said honestly.

"Then we just have to find a way to let her confess then?" Makoto then put her arms around the blonde's shoulder.

Minako then blushed.

The next morning, Rei got up and tried not to move too fast as she was still feeling woozy about everything. She then went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. While she was cleaning herself up, Makoto went inside the room.

'_I feel like I'm getting sick again. Ugh.'_

"Rei?"

"I'm in the bathroom. Be there in a sec."

'_At least I didn't vomit the soup. Yuck. Well Minako made it and she seemed surprised I ate it. Anyway, I'll eat a whole pot of it again if she ever wants me too.'_ Rei convinced herself that it was worth it as she stared at herself in the mirror.

'_What the hell? Eat asparagus again for Mina? That soup seemed to have an effect on my sanity. Ugh.'_ Rei chuckled in her mind.

Rei then walked out of the bathroom and found the brunette holding a tray with a bowl of soup. Rei's face paled.

Makoto laughed. "Don't worry Rei. It's chicken soup!"

"Oh. Thanks. Ummm… Mako, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?" Makoto answered as she put the tray at the table.

"I don't want to see Mina today. It's just… because… she reminds of the soup she made last night. I'm not mad at her or anything. I just don't want to be reminded of that icky vegetable today or else I won't be able to recuperate ever."

"I understand Rei." Makoto chuckled as she nodded.

"Where is she anyway?" Rei looked outside of her room but there was nobody there.

"I thought you didn't want to see her?" Makoto teased Rei.

Rei blushed as she closed the door and went to the table and sat on the floor.

"She's with Usagi and Ami. They went to the grocery to shop for some food for you," Makoto continued as she sat at the other end of the table, facing Rei.

"You guys didn't have to do that," the miko answered then took a sip of the soup. "This is good."

"Thanks! I made it last night for you. No more instant soups for you!" Makoto joked.

Rei took another sip and Makoto asked her, "Are you feeling better?"

"I don't cough nor sneeze that much anymore but I still feel woozy with all the asparagus soup last night. Ugh." Rei felt goosebumps all over her body as she thought of the pot of the asparagus soup.

"Don't worry. You finished everything anyway," Makoto teased.

Rei blushed.

Then silence fell on the two of them as Makoto let Rei eat.

After Rei finished her bowl of soup, Makoto leaned a little bit closer, cleared her throat and asked, "So why did you finish all of the soup last night? Minako told me you downed the soup like it was a shot or something."

Rei blushed. "I… Ummm… I don't know?"

"You don't know? Oh come on, Rei. You could do better than that!"

"I really don't know, Mako," Rei choked as she told this.

"You know you're a bad lier," Makoto laughed.

Rei's face became bright red.

"I don't want to talk about it. I keep thinking about the asparagus!"

"Don't change the subject!" Makoto protested.

Then suddenly the door opened and Ami and Usagi came in with some bags full of grocery items.

"We already put the frozen food on the fridge and some of the vegetables…" Ami said as she looked inside the bags.

"And we bought a lot of chips!" Usagi exclaimed as she hugged a huge bag of potato chips.

Ami sweatdropped then she noticed something and pulled it out of the bag.

"Hey, why is there a bundle of asparagus here?" Ami looked puzzled.

Rei stood up and she could see two imaginary devil horns grow on Makoto's head. Makoto then took one of the asparagus out of the bundle and snapped the end of it. Rei's eye twitched. The taller girl sensed something.

"So, are you still in denial about your feeling towards Mina?" Makoto snapped another asparagus. Rei's eye twitched twice.

Usagi got the idea and snapped another.

Another twitch.

"Well?"

Ami was nudged by Makoto and so she picked up an asparagus, snapped the end while mouthing, "I'm so sorry!"

Rei clenched her fists as she tried to control the twitches from her eye. But it failed.

The three then took another asparagus and snapped it simultaneously.

Something in Rei also snapped.

"You want me to tell the truth? THE TRUTH? I'LL TELL YOU THE TRUTH!" Rei's hands was all over the place as she stood up glaring at the three. The other senshii were taken aback, realizing it was too late as they had made the fire senshii snap.

"I LOVE MINAKO! I HAVE LIKED HER SINCE THE DAY I MET HER AT THAT FREAKING CHURCH, OK? I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A CRUSH BUT AFTER THAT YOUMA INCIDENT WHEN I TRIED TO … TRIED TO…" Rei's face became red.

"KISS HER, I REALIZED I LOVED HER! BUT… BUT… I KNOW I AM JUST A FRIEND TO HER AND… AND… A LOT OF BOYS ARE COURTING HER… I CAN'T COMPETE WITH THAT! I'M… I'M JUST… JUST HINO REI AND I CAN'T EVEN OFFER HER ANYTHING!" Rei was now feeling woozy again. She then sat and faced away from the three.

"If I pursue what I feel, she might reject me and don't talk to me anymore and that's unbearable. It might break our group and if it didn't people might judge her for being friends with a freak like me. I don't want that. I don't want her to get hurt or anything. I want to protect her forever." Rei's voice was now softer, it was obvious that she was fighting back her tears.

"I think about her a lot. The only thing that kept me sane when she was with her manager these couple of days were you guys. You kept me distracted but I still missed her a lot when you guys left. I didn't have the courage to call her or even text her. I am not a lovey dovey type of person and you all know that but I love Mina so much. And ignoring until she needs my attention, fighting and teasing her is the only way I know to express that unrequited feelings that I have towards her."

The three's mouth was on the floor. They can't believe that teasing the miko while snapping some asparagus would make her confess everything. And this was not the day that they planned to trick the raven haired girl to confess. They had planned to do it after Rei had recuperated.

"She's the only one who can make me feel angry and happy at the same time. It's like I'm in heaven when I smell her perfume or hair. She smells like strawberries. She's the only person who can make me do things out of my comfort zone and I'm ok with that as long as she's happy. I know it's weird but I can't explain it."

She didn't notice that the door opened, the three had snucked out and Minako entered the room. And she heard all of it outside the room. She forgot to put one frozen meal on the fridge and had to return to the kitchen that was why Ami and Usagi came in first at Rei's room.

"And when she laughs, it's like… it's like the most wonderful sound you'd ever heard of. And when the sun shines on her hair, you can see how red her lips are… And when she faces you and the wind blows, she looks like an angel… Did I tell you about her scent? I don't even like strawberries that much but it's so intoxicating! It's like a drug or something…" Rei's eyes were beaming and she looked like she was day dreaming and then sadness took over Rei again.

"I want to confess but I'm afraid to hurt again. I never got over the loss of my mom and what if Mina left me? I don't think I could take that kind of hurt again. I don't want to be like my dad who runs away every time he feels something. But I guess I'm no good too. After all I am my father's daughter. I'm such a coward." Rei couldn't stop the tears anymore and she hid her face into her palms.

Minako then went to the miko and hugged her.

"You are not like your father and you are not a coward! Do not say that ever again!" Minako buried her face to the miko's neck as tears began to flow.

"I… I… promise to love you with everything that I am and I… will promise to your mom that I will fight for our love, protect you, care for you and I… I promise not to leave and hurt you… my… my Koi…" the blonde's face became red and as she felt her face become hot, she nuzzled more into the miko's neck.

Rei just sat there frozen.

'_Minako heard everything? And she's ok with everything? Is this a dream?'_ Rei's mind and pulse was racing 120 kilometers per hour.

"Rei?" Minako was scared because Rei hasn't moved an inch or responded to everything she said. She then went in front of the miko and hugged her again.

"Is this real? Are you real? Or is this the effect of that freaking asparagus soup that I ate last night?" Rei asked Minako in disbelief.

Minako smiled. She then looked at the miko, took Rei's chin to her hand and gently pulled it towards her ending with a gentle and yet passionate kiss. Rei did not respond at first because of shock. After a couple of seconds, she gently returned the kiss while cupping the face of Minako.

Rei bit Minako's lower lip playfully before pulling out of the kiss. Both of them were flustered.

"I guess this is real." Rei whispered.

"I love you, Rei."

"I love you too, Mina."

Both hugged each other and started to kiss again, but this one it wasn't a chaste kiss anymore.

The other three were listening behind the closed door and was blushing. Makoto was holding Ami's hand and Ami gave it a squeeze. After a few minutes, they decided to go home.

While walking out of the shrine, Usagi asked Ami, "Did you put the asparagus on the bag? Because I wouldn't dare get that after what I saw the effect of it on Rei last night."

"Of course not. Minako didn't put it there either. She said she wouldn't want to touch that stuff ever again." Ami answered.

"Well, I guess its fate then. The asparagus saved the day!" Makoto then thrust her fist unto the air and three laughed as they made their way out of the shrine.


End file.
